Marcum Customer Service — Practical Guide for Clients and Prospective Clients

Overview of Marcum’s client service approach

Marcum LLP (marcumllp.com) is a national accounting, advisory, and consulting firm that operates through a partner-led model. In practice this translates to a structured client service layer: an engagement partner (the primary relationship lead), an engagement director or manager (day-to-day operations), and specialized technical staff (tax, audit, advisory, forensic, IT). Understanding that layered model helps set expectations for response times, escalation, and deliverables.

Because Marcum serves a broad mix of privately held businesses, nonprofits, and public companies, client service is tailored by practice area (e.g., audit vs. tax provision vs. transaction advisory). Across these lines, the firm emphasizes documented deliverables (engagement letters, work plans, budgets) and periodic status reports. Clients should expect an initial formal engagement letter and a project plan within the first 7–14 calendar days after engagement acceptance.

Contact channels and typical response timelines

Marcum offers multiple contact channels: direct partner email/phone, engagement manager contact, dedicated client portal for secure document exchange, and office reception for scheduling. For routine inquiries, a professional services standard applies: initial acknowledgement within 24 business hours and triage within 48–72 business hours. More complex requests—such as audit adjustments, tax controversy research, or forensic analysis—are scoped and quoted with a proposed delivery timeline that can range from 1 week to 6+ months depending on complexity.

To keep communication efficient, use the client portal for document uploads and version control and reserve email/phone for clarifying questions or time-sensitive items. When you contact your engagement team, include the engagement ID or the client code listed on your engagement letter; this reduces routing time and prevents misdirected correspondence that can add days to resolution timelines.

Onboarding, deliverables, and project governance

Onboarding typically begins with an engagement letter describing scope, estimated fees, timing, deliverables, and key contacts. Expect a kickoff meeting (in-person or virtual) that establishes the project plan, milestones, and a communication cadence—often weekly for active projects and monthly for retainer relationships. For recurring services (monthly bookkeeping, quarterly reviews), Marcum generally issues a client service schedule indicating regular deliverables and deadlines.

Good governance practices include: (1) maintaining a single shared tracker (spreadsheet or portal task list) of outstanding items, (2) assigning one internal client owner, and (3) scheduling recurring checkpoint meetings. These reduce friction and keep costs predictable by minimizing scope creep; many firms, including Marcum, will require written change orders for additional services outside the initial scope.

Billing, pricing expectations, and fee management

Pricing at a national practice varies widely by service and complexity. Typical market ranges you can expect as a planning reference: routine tax returns and small-business bookkeeping engagements often range from $1,200–$15,000 annually; audits or more comprehensive financial statement services commonly start in the $30,000–$75,000 range and can exceed $200,000 for complex, multi-entity or publicly-reporting audits. Transaction advisory (due diligence, valuations) frequently uses hourly rates or fixed fees depending on scope; hourly partner-level rates for large firms can range from $400–$900 per hour, and senior staff from $120–$350/hour.

Marcum will provide an estimated fee schedule in the engagement letter and regular invoices (monthly or milestone-based). To control unexpected charges, request a “not-to-exceed” estimate and require written approval for any anticipated overrun. Also ask for a staffing matrix showing hours by role—this transparency helps clients understand where fees are incurred and where efficiencies can be gained.

Escalation procedures and quality assurance

Every professional services engagement should include an escalation path. Confirm in writing the names and contact methods of the engagement partner, engagement director, and the firm’s client service lead for your region. When issues arise—missed deadlines, billing disputes, or technical disagreements—escalate first to the engagement manager, then to the partner, and finally to the regional client service executive if unresolved within the agreed SLA.

Quality assurance is typically delivered via internal reviews: partner review of deliverables, technical reviews for specialized work (valuation, tax research memos), and sign-offs on financial statements and tax filings. Ask to see the review checklist and who signed off; this ensures accountability and minimal rework.

Documents to prepare before engaging Marcum

• Most recent fiscal year financial statements (PDF and trial balance in Excel) — include prior-year audit or review reports if available.
• Chart of accounts and accounting policy manual (or summary of policies) to accelerate scoping and reduce discovery time.
• Payroll summaries, payroll tax filings (Form 941/940 equivalents), and benefits documentation for accurate tax and compliance work.
• Entity formation documents, ownership structure schedule, and recent board minutes for transaction or valuation engagements.
• A list of required deadlines (regulatory filings, investor reporting dates) and preferred communication times for scheduling checkpoints.

Practical tips to optimize Marcum client service

Maintain a single internal point of contact who consolidates requests and documents; this minimizes duplicated inquiries and reduces billable hours. Use the firm’s secure portal for all document exchange to preserve audit trails and meet data privacy expectations. For time-critical items (filings, closings), provide a 48–72 hour internal buffer and flag items as “high priority” in writing.

Finally, if you need contact specifics (regional office addresses, direct phone numbers, or partner profiles), visit Marcum’s official site at marcumllp.com where the firm lists office locations, leadership bios, and the main client intake phone numbers. Request a written engagement letter and a staffing matrix before beginning work to ensure alignment on scope, fees, and timelines.